Monday, February 15, 2010

How bad do you want IT?

As I was watching the Olympics this weekend, the commentators were discussing the time the athletes spent training. Some of them had spent years of their life and were living from job to job just to pay their bills. Some had moved away from their families so they could train. All of this for a couple of minutes and a shot at their dream. I was amazed! As I heard their stories and watched as some of them failed to make it into the final medal rounds, I wondered how they dealt with the failure? How do they get back up and work for 4 more years? The answer is simple! They want IT that BAD! They are willing to eat and sleep the dream. They jump at every opportunity to gain training and experience. IT is all they think and talk about. IT becomes their life. My IT, is becoming a published writer. My dream is to see my words on the pages of a book, out in the world for others to read. Finding your IT, can be the hardest part of life. IT is your purpose!

But for me, it is the next part that has me taking a step back. After you realize your dream, the next step is to ask yourself: How bad to you want IT? I think in writing the typical start-up writer begins with a "great idea" then they write. They write their first book and then begin to query agents or publishers thinking that they will hear back from them instantly. Then nothing happens or rejections come. This is the point where you ask yourself: How bad do you want IT? Are you willing to push through, edit your work over and over, join critique groups, attend writing conferences, and give up hours of your time even though it may take years to get your book published and even then you probaly won't make that much money selling it to publishers? If your answer is YES, then you can be certian you want it that BAD!